The Waffle House Challenge
by felicidad
Summary: Percy/Oliver challenge fic. Updated! Chapter 3: Wherein the boys do some shopping.
1. The Challenge

****

The Waffle House Challenge;

Or, the Result of Procrastination, Too Much Diet Coke, and Taking a Slash-Loving Friend to Said Eating Establishment

Part One: The Rules

This is a challenge that was issued to me by **xixie** one night while we were wasting time at the Waffle House, avoiding the tedious task of writing essays which were already painfully overdue. Well, actually, **xixie** was writing an essay about _The Faerie Queene_ and I was eating a really, really late dinner. Yeah, I'm a slacker like that. Anyway, this first chapter just sets up the rules **xixie** laid down for me; if you find that kind of thing boring, feel free to move on the next chapter. That's where the real fun begins. :o)

The plot: for their Muggle Studies end-of-term exam, the students must navigate in the Muggle world in pairs of two for the entire day, completing a scavenger hunt of sorts. Included on the list of items the teams are searching for are: 

A. A vegetable from a Muggle eating establishment

B. Something from the GAP (because Muggles love it)

C. A Hawaiian shirt

D. A Muggle self-help book

This will be a Percy/Oliver slash story; as a result, they must kiss. Percy has to get upset about a mud puddle. Oliver must lose a game of croquet to Percy. Someone must say, "My, you look nice today. Either that, or someone spiked my shanti." And finally, someone must make a reference to Elizabeth II being a witch and Charles being a squib. 


	2. Muggle Studies

The Waffle House Challenge

**Chapter One: Muggle Studies**

"Good morning, class."

The seventh years snapped to attention.  "Good morning, Professor Epimetheus."

The professor smiled.  "As you all know, today is your end-of-the-term exam.  You will be divided into pairs and sent off into the Muggle world to obtain as many ordinary Muggle objects as you can find from a list I will give you."  He moved through the room, grouping the students in twos until everyone was paired up.  "Follow me.  We will be reviewing the rules of this exam outside, and you will then be taking your portkeys from the lawn."

The professor turned on his heel, robes swishing, and marched out the door.  The students followed after him, dutifully lining up beside their partners.

Oliver Wood grinned.  He had been paired with Percy Weasley, and that meant at least two things: 1) that they were guaranteed an "A;" Percy was a stickler for rules and details, and there was no way he would settle for anything less. And 2) that by the end of the day, Oliver would know more than he would ever wanted to about the history, geography, and culture of Muggle London.  Not that he hadn't been paying close attention in class . . . 

The students gathered on the lawn, surrounding the professor, who was avidly flipping through a stack of glossy magazines.  When everyone had arrived, he looked up.  "Obviously, we can't have you running around London in wizard robes.  I've done some extensive research on Muggle clothing, and I will be dressing you for the day.  First, Hannah and Paul."  He turned to two Hufflepuffs who looked slightly apprehensive.

"The GAP," Professor Epimetheus declared, holding up an advert, "Muggles love it!  But then, I'm sure you'll find that out."  He flicked his wand, and Hannah's robes were replaced by a short khaki skirt, white button-down blouse, and a long, multi-coloured striped scarf.

Hannah looked down uncertainly.  "Isn't it a bit warm for a scarf?"

"Not at all!  You'll fit in fine."  The professor turned to Paul.  "And as for you . . .."  He flipped open a dubious-looking newspaper, selecting an outfit from the first page he landed on.  With a flick of his wrist, Paul was left standing in a pair of dirty jeans with holes in the knees, a blue T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a pair of cheap plastic flip-flops.

Paul was clearly horrified.  "I don't know, Professor . . .."

"Nonsense!  Look at this famous Muggle talking picture star!  You look just like him!"

Paul looked askance at the faded article the professor was pointing to.  It was titled, "Scott Wolf Goes to the Dogs," and it featured pictures of a Muggle man – who, admittedly, did somewhat resemble Paul – completing various tasks while wearing the outfit in question: emptying a rubbage bin, eating a messy-looking sandwich, and walking down a street holding a small black box to his ear.

Once he convinced himself he had appeased Paul, Professor Epimetheus moved on to the next pair.  He continued in the same fashion: choosing clothing at random and backing up his choices with full colour pictures in magazines or clothing catalogues.  By the time he reached Percy and Oliver, both boys were pretty nervous.

"Let's see. . . ."  The professor picked out another magazine and began turning the pages.  "I know just the thing to dress our star Quidditch player in!"

Oliver closed his eyes, imagining the worst.  He felt a slight tingle as his clothes changed form, and looked down.  "What's this, then?!"

The professor looked pleased.  "It's a uniform.  All the Muggle football players wear them, see?" he shoved the photographs in Oliver's face.  A group of muscular-looking Muggle men – wearing the same red and white-striped shorts and shirt as Oliver – were apparently chasing after a black and white ball about the size of a Quaffle.  He vaguely remembered learning something about the Muggle sport of football, but it had seemed so boring and two-dimensional at the time that he had spent the majority of the class period devising new Quidditch strategies.  He could always ask Percy, he supposed. . . 

The professor turned from a dumbfounded Oliver to a suspicious Percy. These outfits didn't look quite . . . right.  But who was he to argue with a professor?  He glanced down at the magazine in Professor Epimetheus's hand.  It was titled, "For the Boys," and the back cover featured an advert for a club called "Heaven."  The professor found a page and began lifting his wand . . . 

When Percy looked down, relief flooded through him.  Professor Epimetheus had selected a pair of dressy black pants and a shimmery green button-down shirt.  _Not what I would had chosen for myself, Percy thought, __but no where near as bad as what some of the others are wearing.  He had to suppress a laugh as he looked at poor Alan Frasier, a Ravenclaw in a plaid skirt and knee-high socks, and Marie Atkins, another Ravenclaw, who was wearing some sort of Muggle bathing outfit that covered only slightly more than her underclothes had._

*****

Once Professor Epimetheus had finished dressing his students "like ordinary Muggles," he ushered them to the box of portkeys Professor Dumbledore had arranged for their excursion.

"Obviously, we can't all appear at one place at the same time – the Muggles would get too curious.  For that reason, Professor Dumbledore and I have created portkeys that will transport a few groups at a time for about 20 minutes."  He opened the box, revealing a few dozen short wooden sticks.  They were all white, with flat, circular heads and stubby pointed tails.  "These will be your portkeys."

One of the students – Percy wasn't sure which; his face was obscured by a black ski mask – asked what they were.

"Glad you asked!  The truth is, I'm not completely sure myself."  Professor Epimetheus picked one out of the box and held it up, so that everyone could see it.  "I do know that Muggle businessmen love them.  They have hundreds of them, and they leave them lying around all over their lawns.  Any team that can tell me what it is – without asking a Muggle directly – will be rewarded ten bonus points."  He replaced the portkey in the box and checked his pocket watch.  "We have about ten minutes before the first portkey goes off, so I'll go ahead and explain the rest of the rules for today.  It is now 9.40 am.  You have exactly 12 hours to complete your exam.  The portkeys are programmed to return you to Hogwarts at 10 p.m.  Both members of the group must be touching the portkey to return, so you must stick together.  Under no circumstances are you to use magic today.  Your wands have been enchanted, and anyone who does use magic will be penalized 15 points.  As you are on a school function, you will not be breaking the Decree for Underage Wizardry, but do not take that as license to do whatever you please."  He reached into his robes and pulled out a stack of papers.  "These are the items you must obtain.  They are all ordinary Muggle items that can be found by visiting ordinary Muggle places.  In short, this exam tests how well you fare as an ordinary Muggle on an ordinary Muggle day."  He passed the papers around to each group.  "You will receive ten points for every item you bring back.  Please note item number one, 'a bag from Tesco.'  I believe it will come in handy for carrying your other items."

Hannah raised her hand.  "Professor?  What's a 'Hawaiian shirt'?"

Professor Epimetheus clapped his hands.  "So glad you asked!  It's a shirt worn by Muggles when they visit Hawaii, one of the United States.  I'm going there on a trip next month and I need to stock up."

Alan spoke up next, still looking slightly uncomfortable in his "Muggle clothes."  "Um, Professor?  How are we going to pay for all this?  Muggles don't accept Knuts or Sickles or Galleons."

"Don't worry.  We've thought of that as well!" Professor Epimetheus exclaimed as he conjured a large bag.  "These are purses, or hand bags.  Muggles use them to carry money and other interesting things.  Each group will receive one, and £100 to last for the day.  This should be more than enough, but you never know."  He passed the purses around as well, giving Percy  a small black one with a long strap.

"Sir?  How do we carry these?"

The professor looked stumped for a minute, then brightened.  "You can carry them around you neck, in your hand, over your shoulder – however you feel most comfortable.  Just remember, some Muggles may try to take them from you, so make sure you do not put your portkey in there."

Percy draped the strap over his head, so it crossed his chest and hung loosely at his side.  Oliver watched, glad it wasn't his responsibility.

After distributing the rest of the purses, Professor Epimetheus checked his watch again and shook his head.  "Almost time!  Well, here are your portkeys -" each group reached into the box and picked out a small wooden stick, turning it over in their hands and watching it, curiously "- now, before you go, are there any more questions?"

"Are you coming with us, Professor?"

"No.  Any other questions?"

Before anyone could respond, the first pair of students disappeared.

Oliver immediately held out the stick so that Percy could touch it as well.  It almost looked like they were holding hands, and both boys blushed and turned their heads, eyes downcast.  After a minute, Percy felt a jerking in his stomach and instinctively closed his eyes.

*****

He opened them to see a large neon sign flashing, "LIVE! NUDE! GIRLS!"

Next to him, Oliver pocketed the portkey and smiled.

"Welcome to London."


	3. The GAP

The Waffle House Challenge

Chapter Two: The GAP

Oliver clapped his hands and looked around excitedly.  "So, what should we do first?"

Percy glanced at the parchment in his hand.  "Read what else the professor wants us to find, I suppose.  Let's see, 'a bag from Tesco' he already discussed, we just need to find this 'Tesco' place.  Number two is a ticket stub from the Muggle underground transportation system – that shouldn't be too hard.  Number three, 'a vegetable from a Muggle eating establishment.'  I guess he wants us to prove we could eat if we were stuck in the Muggle world for some reason."  Percy continued skimming the list, commenting when he found something unusual.  "Hmm…'A postcard from Buckingham Palace'; that should be interesting, I've always wanted to see what it looks like.  But I wonder what a 'postcard' is…"

Oliver was reading over his shoulder.  "'A Muggle self-help book'?  What's that?"

Percy shrugged.  "Probably a book that helps with the cleaning or something.  I'm sure we'll find out eventually.  Meantime, let's find this Tesco place."

"Good idea.  You finish reading the list; I'll go ask that Muggle."  Oliver walked over to a short man reading a paper and waiting to cross the road.

"Excuse me, sir.  Could you please tell me where the Tesco is?"

The man looked Oliver up and down, suspiciously.  "Why?"

"I'm just curious. My friend and I –" he gestured towards Percy, who was still reading the list and commenting to himself – "were just trying to find one.  We need a bag."

The man didn't look convinced, but grudgingly responded, "First, take the tube to Knightsbridge –"

Oliver interrupted him.  "'The tube'?  What's that?"

The man looked confused, and more than a little annoyed.  "It's the tube!  The Underground?"  When the puzzlement remained on Oliver's face he tried, "The subway?"  Still no recognition.  "The subterranean bus system?"

"Oh!  Is that like an 'underground transportation system'?"

The man now looked very annoyed.  "Yes, yes it is.  Now, you take the tube to Knightsbridge –"

"Wait, please.  How does one 'take' this tube?"

The man was getting more annoyed.  "You buy a bloody ticket, of course!"

Oliver nodded.  "I see.  And where does one buy these tickets?"

The man looked darkly at Oliver.  "At the ticket counter or from a vending machine."

"What's a 'vending machine'?"

The man had clearly had enough.  He threw up his hands and walked off, muttering to himself about "bloody hooligans."

Oliver was tempted to call after him and get the rest of the directions, but didn't want to risk getting hit.  Instead he shrugged and walked back to Percy, who had been oblivious to the entire exchange.

"Well, what did you find out?"

"Not much.  We need to find a tube station."

"A what?"

Oliver smiled smugly.  "Just trust me.  C'mon."

They walked down the street, coming to a white sign with a red circle on it.  There was a blue line through the middle, on which the word "UNDERGROUND" was written.

"This must be it," Oliver commented, descending the stairs beneath.  Percy followed uncertainly.

They emerged into a dimly lit but crowded waiting area.  Oliver looked around, trying to find a ticket counter; he still had no idea what a "vending machine" was, and was less than eager to annoy another Muggle with his questions.  He finally spotted a sign that read "TICKETS."  Beneath it, a woman was sitting behind a counter.  Oliver wouldn't have found this extremely unusual, but she was also enclosed in a glass booth.  He turned to Percy.  "I need money."

Percy raised an eyebrow.  "How much?"

Oliver blushed.  He had no idea how much things were worth in the Muggle world, so he took a wild guess.  "I'd say about £5."

It must have been close to what Percy himself was thinking, because he relinquished the money without a comment.  Oliver took the note and made his way to the counter.  

The woman smiled at him.  "Can I help you?"

Oliver tried to remember the name the man had said.  "Does this train go to Knightsbridge?"

"Yes, it does."

"Great.  I'd like two tickets, please."

"That'll be £3, please."

Oliver had to slide the note under the glass partition.  He waited while the woman made change.  She slid him back two tickets and two small round coins.  He picked them up and looked at them, curiously, them thanked the woman and made his way back to Percy.

"Here you are," he said triumphantly, handing Percy the coins and a ticket.

Percy looked impressed.  "Good job.  Now what?"

Oliver looked around.  The Muggles were making their way to a platform on the other side of the room, passing through silver turnstiles as they did so.  "Let's go this way."

Percy followed without comment.  He was glad Oliver was taking initiative on this exam; he had been afraid he would be stuck doing all the work, but Oliver seemed to enjoy proving himself right.

When they reached the turnstiles, Oliver glanced left and watched as a Muggle slid his ticket through a slot on the countertop to the right of his turnstile.  A green light came on, and the Muggle walked through.  Oliver tried to imitate him, but must have done something wrong because a red light came on instead.  He turned to Percy and whispered, "Something's wrong with my ticket."

Percy watched as another Muggle walked through without a problem.  "Try flipping your ticket and swiping it with the black line facing down."

Oliver did so, and was rewarded with a green light.  He flashed a grateful smile to Percy, then walked on.  Percy got through the turnstile without incident, and both walked to the edge of the platform.

They had been standing quietly, taking in the scenery around them, when a mechanical voice intoned, "The train is approaching.  Please mind the gap."

Oliver turned to Percy, clearly excited.  "The GAP!"

Percy looked confused.  "Huh?"

"The GAP!  You remember, Professor Epimetheus said that Muggles love it.  And it's on our list…"

Percy pulled the list out of the purse.  Sure enough, item number 10 read, "'something from the GAP.'"  He wasn't convinced, though.  "I don't know, Oliver; it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd find in the train station.  Remember that ad he was waving around?"

Oliver, however, was off and running.  Figuratively.  As soon as he had had his great epiphany, he had begun eagerly searching the station.  Finally, his eyes landed on the platform itself.  "Look!"  He pointed to the platform.  "There's the GAP!"

Sure enough, the words "MIND THE GAP" were carved into the platform's edge, but Percy was still apprehensive.  The Muggles waiting for the train were starting to give them funny looks, and a few had outright laughed at Oliver's enthusiasm.  He began looking around the station as well, and his eyes landed on a large poster on the other side of the train tracks.  It featured a girl, dressed in the same khaki skirt and white blouse outfit that Hannah had been dressed in, but without the scarf.  He tried to show this to Oliver, but the other wizard was busily trying to determine what, exactly, the professor wanted them to obtain from the tube station gap.

"Maybe he wants a rock?  There's a whole pile of them down there…"

"Oliver, wait.  See that poster over there?"

Oliver paused in his ramblings and looked where Percy was pointing.  "Yeah, so?"

Percy rolled his eyes.  "Well, what does it say?"

Oliver squinted.  "Fall into the GAP."

"What?!  No, not that part.  Underneath the picture."

Oliver's gaze traveled down.  "Just two blocks from Knightsbridge station… Wait, do you think it's a clothing store or something?"

Percy shook his head and smiled.  "Yeah, it's probably something like that."

The arrival of the train preventing any further discussion; Percy wasn't sure, but he thought the Muggles looked disappointed.  They probably weren't used to such entertaining tourists, he reflected.

The doors opened and he and Oliver entered, stumbling over the large space between the platform and the train.  One Muggle, departing the train, watched them carefully.

"Mind the gap," he cautioned.

Percy inwardly groaned, but Oliver just grinned.


	4. Paper or Plastic?

A/N:  Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed.  Sorry this update took so long – holidays and all that.  Anyway, the chapter has some angsty stuff in it, but that's mostly because of the cliché that Oliver has to feel sorry for Percy to develop romantic feelings for him.  But I threw in an Eddie Izzard reference to make up for it, so enjoy! :o)

**********

The Waffle House Challenge

Chapter Three: Paper or Plastic?

Oliver emerged from the Knightsbridge tube station, squinting at the sunlight.  He turned to Percy, grinning.  "That was so much more fun than floo powder or portkeying!  Not as much fun as flying, though."

Percy, who looked a little green from the bumping and jerking of the train, merely nodded.  They walked down a street, Oliver cautiously asking friendly-looking Muggles if they were heading towards the Tesco.  A few Muggle girls backed away when he first approached him, looking at his clothing with the same mix of distrust and apprehension that the man from earlier had shown.  Most of the Muggle men, especially the young scruffy-looking ones, were happy to point him in the right direction.  However, they would then yell, "United!" and give him a hardy slap on the back as he and Percy departed.  Oliver was thoroughly confused by this, but Percy surmised that it must have been some Muggle way of saying "farewell" that they hadn't learned in class.

After walking a few blocks, they found a short white building with large windows.  Signs, similar to those seen in Diagon Alley, offered various Muggle foods for prices that Oliver assumed were a good deal.  They reached a door, and Oliver stepped forward to open it for Percy, but it suddenly slid apart of its own accord.

"Wow!" Oliver whispered, "That must be some sort of Muggle magic we haven't discovered yet."

Percy snorted with laughter, then tried to cover it up by coughing.  "Um…I'll go see about the bags, ok?"  He walked up to a likely-looking store clerk, who was placing canned goods into a bag.

"Excuse me?"

The clerk looked up.  He was a little older than Percy, and seemed very annoyed that his work was being interrupted.  "Yeah?"

"Where are the bags?"

The clerk resumed his packing.  "Aisle 3."

Percy nodded, as if this cryptic bit of information was exactly what he was seeking, and backed away slowly.  He returned to Oliver, who was already scanning the store.

"Look, Perce!  The rows of food are numbered.  I bet the bags are on row number three."

The two trooped over the aisle, amazed at the sight before them.

"Geez, Oliver, there must be 50 different types of bags.  How do we know which one Professor Epimetheus wants?"

"I dunno.  Let's just find one that'll hold everything."

Percy began reading the types of bags available to them.  "Sandwich bags…no, those will definitely be too small…Hmm, rubbish bin liners.  Those will probably be big enough, but I don't want to walk around Muggle London with trash bags.  That won't look right."

Percy continued muttering to himself as Oliver walked further down the aisle, examining their options.  Suddenly, the perfect solution caught his eye.

"Percy, I've found it!"

"What?"

"The Tesco bag!"

Percy glanced over, and saw Oliver happily brandishing a large canvas bag emblazoned with the 'Tesco' logo.

"You know, I think you're right.  But will it be big enough?"

"The Professor wouldn't have told us to get it if it wasn't.  Besides, look at this."  Oliver pointed to a small picture of a triangle formed by three arrows on the bottom corner of the bag.  "I remember this symbol.  The Professor said it stood for bicycling, which is really important to Muggles."

Percy furrowed his brow.  "I think you mean _re_cycling."

Oliver shrugged.  "Whatever."

"Well, how much is it?"

Oliver flipped over a tag on one of the straps.  "£12.  Is that too much?"

Percy did some quick math in his head.  "We have £100 to last the day, and 10 items to find, so we should spend about £10 on each.  And we're already £7 ahead, since the tube tickets were only 3."

Oliver grinned.  "Great.  Let's go find the GAP."

*****

A few minutes later, they exited the market – Percy a bit miffed, having learned that they could've gotten a bag for free simply by correctly guessing what material it was made out of – and continued walking.

"Why don't you ask someone where the GAP is?"

Oliver looked put out.  "Why am I the one who always has to talk to the Muggles?"

"What are you talking about?  I asked that clerk about the bags…"

"Yeah, but every time I try to talk to a Muggle, they give me funny looks.  I don't think they like my clothes."

"Now you're just being silly.  Why would someone not like you because of your clothes?"

"Well, if you don't think it's a big deal, why don't we switch?"

"What?"

"You can wear this," Oliver said, pulling at the red and white jersey and making a face, "and I'll wear that," he continued, pointing at Percy's shirt.

Percy frowned.  "I don't know…"

"Or, I could always just get something new.  We do have to buy something at the GAP."

Oliver was smiling.  He knew Percy would never allow him to buy an entirely new outfit – they simply didn't have the money.

Percy sighed, defeated.  "Ok, you win.  We can switch."

"Great!"  Oliver began pulling his shirt off.

"NO!"  Percy shoved it back down, aware that there were several Muggles eyeing them.  "You can't just strip down in public.  We can change at the store.  _Now_ will you go ask someone how to get there?" 

Oliver turned and walked toward an elderly woman who was admiring some tall hats (that vaguely resembled cakes, Percy thought) in a window.  The woman at first looked frightened, but when Oliver smiled and began gesturing, Percy could tell she was enchanted.  She replied and gestured down the street, then patted Oliver's hand and walked off.

"Great, we were almost there anyway," he said, returning to Percy.  They walked in silence, Percy rereading the list of items they needed to find and Oliver watching out for the store.

*****

"Well, this must be it."

They were standing outside a large stone building.  The windows were filled with Muggle clothes and pictures of smiling teenagers.  Oliver stepped up to the door, and when it didn't automatically open he grabbed the handle and held it open for Percy, who thanked him and smiled.

They were three steps in the store when a formidable-looking woman approached.

"Good morning, gentlemen.  Can I help you find anything?"

Oliver's face lit up as he remembered one of their items.  "Do you have any Hawaiian shirts?"

The woman looked aghast.  "Good heavens, no!  This the GAP, not…Marks and Spencer."

Oliver's face fell.  He glanced at Percy, then walked off to admire some socks.

Percy cleared his throat.  _Would it be appropriate to ask what the cheapest thing in the store is?  _He considered this for a moment, then decided, _probably not._  "Um, actually…we were just looking.  But thank you."

"Suit yourself."  The woman shrugged and walked off.

"Hey, Perce," Oliver called, "maybe we could get a pair of socks.  They £6.95."

"For a pair of _socks_?"  It was Percy's turn to look aghast.

"Well… Hey, here's some cheap stuff."

The boys wandered to a rack marked "CLEARANCE" in bold red letters and began swishing through the clothes.

"Here, this is perfect!"  Oliver pulled a purple nylon raincoat off the rack and held it up for Percy's inspection.

"Yeah, maybe we could buy some Wellingtons, too."

"Percy!  I'm serious.  It looks like it might rain, and besides, it's only £9."

"OK, fine, you win."

Oliver grinned.  "I could get used to you saying that."

A blush slowly rose on Percy's pale face.  If Oliver noticed, he didn't comment.

"Now," Oliver continued, "let's get you out of those clothes."

"What?!"  Percy squeaked.  His face was now (ahem) flaming.

"You said we could switch, remember?"

"Oh…"  Percy's heartbeat gradually returned to normal.  "Yeah, sure.  Let's find a W.C. or something."

"There's a bunch of little dressing rooms over there," Oliver pointed, "let's just use them."

"Well…"  Percy looked nervous.

"C'mon."  Oliver grabbed his hand and dragged him across the store.

They reached a fitting room and Oliver opened the door.  "You first.  Wisdom before beauty," he quipped with a wink.

Percy was confused.  "What are we doing, exactly?"

Oliver rolled his eyes.  Being in the Muggle world for so long was making him a bit giddy, and he was starting to get impatient.  "You're going to go in here, take off those clothes, pass them to me, I'm going to go in there" – Oliver pointed to an empty room next to Percy's – "take off mine, put yours on, then bring mine back to you to put on."

Percy looked stricken.  "Um, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be half-naked in a public place for an extended period of time."

Oliver looked slightly amused.  "Is it really that big a deal?"

"Yes!"

"Can I ask why?"

Percy suddenly became interested in his shoes.  "It's embarrassing."

Oliver started to feel bad.  Percy was obviously uncomfortable.  "It's ok.  I'll go first, then you can - "

"The twins played a joke on me," Percy interrupted.

"Oh?"  Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah.  When I first became a prefect.  Somehow, they got the password to the prefect bathroom, and they would come in and steal my clothes while I was in the tub.  I'd have to wrap myself in a towel until Filch or another prefect came by and got me a robe to wear.  I would change the password daily, and take two robes with me, but they still got in."

Oliver would have found the situation extremely funny, if not for the distress on Percy's face as he recounted the experience.  He felt strangely protective towards his roommate, and slightly angry (and very annoyed) at the twins.

"I'm sorry, Perce."  Oliver gave him a quick hug.  "Here, I'll go first and give you my clothes.  I don't mind being half-naked in public.  I'm a bit of an exhibitionist, really."

Percy managed a small smile.  "OK.  And Oliver?"

The door was already half-closed.  He poked his head out.  "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Oliver smiled and shut the door.


End file.
